Make it to me [Etain]

Nothing would ever be the same.

He told himself that on more than one occasion. As true as the words were now, he accepted this change. Yes, he had a bit of trouble dealing with change. But this change was an entire life, a person who would depend on him for proper guidance and advice. He was still getting used to their life as a family. He could admit that he missed the time they shared before Nick was born, but he loved the moments he had with his son just as much. Having a moment alone sometimes seemed impossible. He needed time with her, just her. He needed the adult conversation and the playful banter. Nick completed their family but he couldn't help but miss who they had been. That wasn’t to say that he would trade his son to go back.

No, he loved him more than anything. It was his birth that had inspired a change for the better in him. He could count down to the very second the time that had passed since he had done something dark. Blue eyes washed over the deep maroon box as he sat on the edge of the bed. All week he planned for a weekend with no responsibilities. His mother wanted to babysit so that allowed him to get everything else done. Standing he walked over to the closet to put the box back in its place deep in the back on the top shelf. With a sigh Tony turned to look at the transformed bedroom. Purple flower pedals were spread about, the enchanted candles not only gave a soft glow to the room but a soothing aroma of lavender.

Walking from the bedroom Tony made his way to the kitchen to check the food. Glancing at the clock on the wall as he leaned to open the stove he paused to think for a moment. She would be home soon. He still needed to get his clothes on. There he was in the kitchen cooking in his boxers. The Lasagna was almost done, if he was right it would be done when she was walking through the door. There was salad and homemade bread – thanks to his mom – which would complete the meal. He even brought wine, which for him was a hard task. There were so many kinds and flavors he thought he would never make a good choice.

He’d decorated the dining room as he had the bedroom only the pedals ran in a neat line towards the front door from the table. He had to admit the decorating had not taken as long as cooking dinner had. In his mind Antonio felt that Etain needed a break. That she needed to come home one day and literally have to do nothing aside from relax. As a man he could only imagine what she had to deal with as a mother. The man wasn’t sure if she was stressed. That was the thing about Etain she had a way of always seeming in control of her emotions. He wondered if she was stressed every now and then but couldn't tell when he watched her.

Walking from the kitchen a tattooed hand ran along the wall as he turned to walk up the stairs to their bedroom. He needed to be dressed and then everything would be in place. Antonio wasn’t a very romantic guy that was something he didn’t hide. He knew that was a downfall for him but figured he made up for it in other departments. For her Tony wanted to be a better. Trying to be romantic wasn’t as hard as he thought it would be. From what the women he had talked to in both their families, it was mostly about doing something from the heart. He dressed slowly as his mind shuffled through the countless memories of them. A smile crossed full lips for a moment as he stared at himself in the mirror.

Every memory of her he had locked away was a happy one. It was strange how before her times of happiness were rare occurrences. The life lived before her had been dark. It had been violent and unforgiving. The sound of the dogs running down the stairs brought Tony from his thoughts. Suddenly his heart was pounding in his chest. His palms felt sweaty. He was nervous. Walking from the room he descended a few steps so he could be seen from the front door. Why was he so nervous to see her?

Sometimes she quite hated Fridays. Fridays usually turned out odd, as she never knew where she was going to be until the night before. It was either Aces, the smithy, or doing one of the odd jobs she got every so often. This Friday, she’d had an early morning at Aces & 6, stepping in for Aeric as he’d needed the day off. Expecting it to be a slow day, she’d relaxed for the majority of the morning as she worked. Sometimes she loved office work, tidying up the books and counting inventory. Etain was in the mode, almost done with the order for next month when disaster struck.

It wasn’t quite disaster in the regular sense, but when a large party of wizarding elite from Ireland decided to have an impromptu meeting in the dining hall, it needed delicacy. She’d been the perfect hostess, organizing their meal and drinks. It took all of the combined training of her grandmothers combined, but somehow she’d made it through the extended period. Etain had heard a lot of surprising things during that meeting as she pretended not to listen, and would have to bring them to Aeric as soon as he got back from visiting Kasmir.

By the time it was closing time, she was mentally exhausted. Playing the game was all and fine, but when it affected the lives of people important to her life, it was tiring not being able to react. She’d just wanted to get home, hug her baby, and sit her butt on Tony’s lap as they cuddled on the couch. Etain watched the clock the whole time, almost launching out of her chair when her replacement appeared. She was so eager to be home.

She apparated in the darkened street beside their home, and walked up the walk, jacket over her arm. When she used her hand to flick the key open, she was immediately met with two exuberant dogs. Standing infront of her, their whole bodies wiggling with excitement were Rock and Isis. Well trained, and knowing not to jump on anyone, both dogs were sliding backwards on the hardwood floor, and lurching forward when they got too far. She snorted, reaching down to pet them both after hanging up her jacket. “You’re covered in flowers, Isis…what the hell?” She began to pick the purple petals off both of the dogs, snorting. “The hell…?” Where did all of these petals come from?

Hearing a creek from the stairs, bright gold eyes flicked upward and Etain exhaled sharply. She met blue eyes for a moment before her eyes took in the entire scene. Dim lighting, a trail of petals on the floor, candles lit everywhere, Tony standing there fixing the cuffs of his dress shirt…She met his gaze again before her eyes swept down, lashes brushing against the tops of her cheeks where a blush resided. It wasn’t often that she was surprised, and when it was Tonio who did it, it was something special.

Etain looked at her husband again and reached down to nervously straighten her skirt, biting her bottom lip. “…Hello Antonio…” Her voice was lower than usual, and her accent purely reminiscent of her mother. “I missed you.” She beamed at him, twirling her skirt slightly. “I see you have something special planned?” She was excited, her heart beating a little faster. “I like these kind of surprises…” She swayed over to the bottom of the stairs and peered up at him. “Are you going to come down anytime soon?”

The moment her gaze met his it felt as if his heart stopped. There she was, this wonderful woman who had brought joy and love into his life, standing looking around in amazement. Etain had changed him without trying, she had loved him for his flaws. Tony was grateful he had finally allowed himself to love her. He had been afraid for so long, thinking that she would be the woman to destroy him. "Hello beautiful, I missed you too. Thought about you all day." He gave a cheek dimpling smile as his eyes followed her. "I thought maybe you deserved a night at a five star spa. What do you think?" Fixing his cuffs once more he slowly made his way down the stairs, keeping her gaze as he did so. "You look..." Stopping in front of her he sighed softly, taking her in slowly. "Stunning as always." Blue eyes rose to her face once more as his hand rose to brush a lock of hair from her face.

The blush in her cheeks was nice, he'd missed it. "I tried my hand at cooking something different tonight." He could cook a few things well, but mostly what his mother always made at home. He hoped she liked the food, he had worked hard on it. His hand moved to slide down to rest in the small of her back. "This way.." He moved to lead her to the table so she could have a seat. "How was your day?" Removing his hand he pulled the chair out for her, pushing it up to the table slight when she sat. Walking around the table to be beside her, Tony pour her a glass of wine. "I'll be right back." With that he walked from the room to get the lasagna out of the oven so it could cool for eating. Turning off the stove he grabbed the salad and bread on his way back to her. "Salad?" The dressing was already on the table, so the new additions went right beside it.

Taking his seat next to her, he poured himself a glass of wine. "It'll be a couple minutes before the main is ready.." He gave a nervous smile as his free hand flexed slowly."Nick is with my mom, she kidnapped him or the night." His gaze drifted to the table for a moment before he looked at her again. He felt out of whack, off his center for some reason. He was never nervous or anxious about anything. He wondered why now. Tony knew that it had been sometime since they had been completely alone. "So, tell me what do five star spas have?" His brow rose as he asked her, sipping his wine as he wondered about his question himself.

Maybe it was just him but it seemed like they had become two different people. Not in a bad way, in a way that people tend to when they start a family. He wanted to know this new version of her, because he knew if it was anything like he expected he was already madly in love. Etain by his standards was perfect. She understood him, even in his darkest moments. She loved him despite all his flaws. She had married him and given him a family. She was everything he could ask for and more. "I really love you,you know that right?" He felt like he didn't say it enough suddenly. She was the love of his life and no one would ever come after her because she was it for him.

He would make sure the night was wonderful for her. He wanted her to relax. She would have a massage and a bath if she wanted after dinner. And he hoped that the night led in other directions, but he  was happy to just lay in bed and talk for hours. He didn't care what he did as long as she was by his side.